


You're Always (In) On My Mind

by A Melon Most Bitter (Darwise)



Category: HEARTBEAT (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Body Horror, F/F, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 18:48:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18856954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darwise/pseuds/A%20Melon%20Most%20Bitter
Summary: On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Klein and Yorshk sit down and exchange pleasantries. Takes place after Ending D. Consider yourself warned.





	You're Always (In) On My Mind

"I apologize if the food is still too hot. It's fresh out of the oven, so I hope you'll understand!"

The salmon on Klein's plate is seasoned just the way that she likes it, and it takes a great deal of restraint not to scarf the entire thing down in several bites. Between the home cooked meal, the bottles of wine, and the bouquet of roses in the table vase, it's clear that her wife of five years has worked hard to make tonight special, and it would be a shame not to savor it. Her lover sat directly across the table from her, with her hands folded outward underneath her chin, and a very suggestive smile on her face. The bulk of her long hair was swept back into a thick ponytail with several front layers reaching her shoulders and helping to accentuate the plunging neckline of her cherry-red cocktail dress.

"It isn't a bother at all; It smells delicious Yorshk." Klein takes her knife and fork, and begins cutting the fish up into smaller pieces. "You really didn't have to go through all of this trouble for me you know."

Yorshk's eyes narrow into thin golden slits, and her smile takes on a sharper edge. Klein sucks her teeth and sighs before putting her utensils back on the table. It's very clear that she's unintentionally said the wrong thing, but experience has taught her that letting her wife's passive-aggressive tantrums run their course is always a much safer bet than trying to backpedal.

"Well, that's awfully self-absorbed of you, considering that this is supposed to be our anniversary. You probably didn't even get me anything, did you?"

The guess is spot on, and Klein flinches ever so slightly. The movement doesn't go unnoticed, and Yorshk shakes her head before grabbing her fork and taking a bite of her salad.

"It figures." She says between chews. "You forgot last year too."

"Last year doesn't count; You were busy with your community garden, and I was away on business."

Yorshk stops smiling, and her face becomes neutral as she jabs the fork in Klein's direction. "But clearly you didn't think enough of me to give me a call and say 'Happy Anniversary!', did you?"

"You didn't own a cellphone until I got you one last year _after_ the fact." Klein deadpans.

"You could have called me on the house phone."

"I did. I even left a voice message when you didn't pick up."

"See, you can remember all of this, but you can't be bothered to get your dear wife something for our special day? Or maybe it was because you were too busy trying to chasing skirts?"

Both Mogwai stare at each other in tense silence... until Klein loses her patience and picks up a cherry tomato from her plate. She flicks it across the table, and Yorshk snatches it out of the air between her teeth without missing a beat. She swallows it, and her stony facade gives way to a snort, followed by a full on snicker. Klein silently fumes while Yorshk continues to laugh.

"You know I hate when you make jokes like that..." She pierces a piece of salmon with her fork and shoves it into her mouth without any sense of table manners.

"And I hate it when you say thoughtless things." Yorshk retorts. "Fortunately for you, I enjoy making you squirm even more. Tell me, how's the fish?"

Klein finishes the last of the fish in her mouth and frowns. It's an effortless sidestep, and any attempts to turn the statement around would only make the 'not argument' that they're having even worse. It's undeniably the best meal that she's had in some time, and she resolves to tell her as much. Despite her temperamental nature, Yorshk had always put far more effort into making their relationship work than her, and even though a part of her wants to be petty, it would be outright disrespectful of her to try and pretend otherwise.

"It's really good. You're an amazing cook. I'm sorry if my... poor choice of words offended you. I know we've been married for some time now, but this is still my first real relationship. I still have a lot to learn."

The ends of Yorshk's hair twitch, and looks back down at her plate to hide the blush on her face as she smiles despite herself. Crisis averted.

"I think we both do, but that isn't to say that we haven't already changed each other for the better in some ways."

They both take another bite from their respective meals before Klein picks up the conversation again.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well for starters, all of this. A cozy little house in Harbei with a beautiful lawn, and fresh air. I never thought I'd get back to my roots in medicine, let alone set up shop in an old human settlement."

"...Old human settlement?" Klein squints, and repeats the words as if tasting something on her tongue. She isn't certain why, but they sound strange; wrong somehow in a way that she can't explain. Yorshk's expression freezes for moment, then she nods her head sadly.

"The last few humans died out earlier in the year, remember?"

The back of Klein's head starts to itch, but the feeling disappears as quickly as it came, and she thinks nothing of it.

"I... yes, I remember now. I'm sorry, how I could forget something like that?"

"I know... It still hurts to think about it. The epidemic took everyone by surprise. We've all lost a lot of good friends."

"...What friends are you talking about? Yorshk, I know for a fact that you could barely tolerate humans on a good day."

Yorshk shoves another bite of salad into her mouth. The mirth is completely gone from her face, replaced with a look of resignation.

"Your food is going to get cold." She says bitterly.

Klein stands up and slams a fist on the table. Her fist clips the side of her plate, and the salmon goes sailing across the room and onto the rug. The reaction is irrational, but something pent-up inside of her is bubbling up to the surface; like a sense of indignation over some long forgotten slight. "Don't change the subject! Who were you thinking of when you said that?!" She snarls, then clutches at the sides of her head in pain. There's a strange sensation, like something underneath her scalp is trying desperately to push it's way through her pores. Yorshk is walking towards her, hands outstretched, and saying something, but all Klein can hear is a deafening ringing in her ears that gets louder and louder until it becomes unbearable.

Yorshk pulls her into a tender hug, and the words that she whispers cut through all of the madness.

"Looks like the conditioning is wearing off again."

The world around Klein slows to a crawl and fades away until all that's left is the slideshow of memories playing rapidly behind her eyes.

_In one memory, she sees herself and Yorshk watching the sunrise from the mountain peaks of Snowver._

_In another, she's back in the Den, cutting down Kon, and Nyx in cold blood. Rex raises her hammer to strike, but she runs her through with her rapier mid swing. Klein blinks-_

_-And then she's in a place she doesn't recognize, talking with several Mogwai around a large table with Yorshk at the head. There's a map of Solum on the wall, sectioned off into several pieces; one for each Mogwai present. She blinks again-_

_-And this time, she's in front of a burning barn. The charred bodies of bowfort's townspeople lay scattered amongst the wreckage. The blue egg in her hands is trembling violently. She offers it to a still mourning Yorshk, who in a haze of grief and jealousy, clutches it tight to her chest. Klein turns away-_

_-And she's back inside the throne room, watching Han beg for mercy as Yorshk's tentacles swarm around her. Several of them restrain her while the rest meld and morph together into a mass of pale flesh. It slides over the terrified face of the Queen; pulsating as it devours her whole. Klein squeezes her eyes shut-_

_-And when she opens them again, She's on top of a bed with Yorshk, kissing her passionately as several long tentacles stroke her thighs and-_

_-Then she's back in the main hall, watching herself as she drags her claws across her conjurer's chest. As she pulls back, several chunks of ragged flesh get stuck underneath her nails, ripping off thin strips of skin as she pulls. She tries to blink the scene in front of her away, but to no avail. Eve's wailing eventually dies down until the most she can manage through all of the blood bubbling up from her mouth, is a small whimper._

_"It hurts... It hurts so much..."_

_Klein raises her claws up to Eve's throat, and in a swift stroke, takes the life of the only woman she ever truly loved._

_The world comes back into focus, and Klein shoves Yorshk away with all of the strength that she can muster. Yorshk quickly regains her balance, while Klein stumbles into the table and knocks the entire setup over. She tries to stand back up, but her legs quickly give out from under her. The fight in her body dies out, and she collapses onto her side. She wraps her arms around herself, shaking violently and whimpering while Yorshk kneels down next to her, and cradles her head in her arms. She tries to move away, but her grip is firm enough that she can't escape._

"I... killed them. You made me do it."

"Shhhh... don't try to move." Yorshk strokes the top of her head.

"You... I... We were..."

"Shhhhh..." A tentacle the length of her arm juts out from the top of her hand and wiggles about in the air. The top layers peel back until it resembles a large needle with a thick, purple liquid dripping from the tip. Klein stares up at her, uncomprehending.

"...Why?" It's the only question that matters now.

"I don't know when it happened, but after a while, you stopped being a pet, and became... something far more important to me. You really do mean the world to me, you know. You helped me achieve in five years what hundreds of years of planning couldn't accomplish. Because of you, Solum belongs to **me**."

Klein shakes her head rapidly, and starts sobbing.

"Oh, Eve... I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry..."

The tentacle wraps itself around Klein's neck, with the tip pressed against the back of her head.

"If it makes you feel any better, the paralytics that I put in your food should be kicking in soon."

Yorshk's grip on her tightens, and the tentacle pierces her skull. Her body spasms violently at the intrusion, then goes limp as the appendage pumps it's toxins into her brain tissue. Three more tentacles rise up from behind Yorshk; tensed and poised to strike.

"Don't worry dear, I've worked the kinks out, and this dosage should be the last one you'll ever need. It'll hurt at first, but after this, everything will be fine, and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again. I promise."

They descend, and as Yorshk whispers words of reassurance, Klein screams at the top of her lungs.

She doesn't stop screaming for a very long time.

* * *

 

When Klein wakes, she's resting on her wife's lap in their bedroom. The sides of her head are pounding, and mouth is painfully dry. Yorshk is staring at her with a concerned face.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"What happened?" Klein rasps. Yorshk puts a glass of water to her lips, and she takes a long sip."

"You started feeling lightheaded after we finished eating, but before could get up, you passed out at the dinner table... I was really worried."

"How's our daughter?"

She reaches over Yorshk, and grabs a small picture frame off their nightstand. The picture was taken just a year ago. In it, the two of them are laughing and smiling in their garden. Cradled in her arms is an infant Mogwai. Yorshk is tickling her stomach, and the infant's tiny goat head bleats out in surprise just as the stationary camera takes the photo.

"Don't worry; I put Loch to bed already."

Klein exhales in relief, and settles back into her lap. She reaches a hand up to Yorshk's face, and gently rubs her hand along her cheek. She returns the favor by stroking her hair, and Klein purrs contently.

"Klein?"

"Yes?"

"...Do you love me?"

"What kind of a question is that?"

Yorshk gives her head a playful nudge.

"The kind you answer by saying yes!"

"Oh I don't know... You're being a little violent right now, perhaps I should be fearful for my safety."

Yorshk's hands stop moving, and when Klein angles her head to look at her, she's sees that her wife's face is pensive, and her gaze is fixed onto a far point across the room.

"Klein..." She begins tentatively. "You know that I would never do anything to hurt you, right?"

Klein pecks her on the cheek with a quick kiss, and her face goes beet red; completely taken aback.

"I thought I was the one that was supposed to be out of sorts. Why would I ever be afraid of you? You're a wonderful wife and mother, and I'm the luckiest Mog that could... Yorshk, what's wrong?"

Several teardrops splash onto Klein's face as Yorshk clamps a hand over her own mouth to keep the sound of her guilt ridden sobs from waking the baby in the next room.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Yorshk shakes her head fiercely.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Please, just tell me that you love me."

Klein pulls Yorshk down towards her, and wipes the tears from her face, before planting a tender kiss on her forehead.

"I'll say it as many times as you want. I love you Yorshk; more than anything else in the world."

"Do you really mean that?"

"With all of my heart."

Klein smiles with the confidence and charm that won the hearts of so many women before her, and Yorshk is entranced; so desperate to cling to the fiction of a happy family life free from all of the blood on her hands, that she's willing to believe anything at this point. She closes her eyes as Klein leans in for another, more intimate kiss.

_And they lived happily ever after._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Felt like trying something a little different this time. I'm actually quite curious as to what kind of changes Yorshk would make to the world if she was in charge.  
> Would she even feel a sliver of guilt at all?  
> How would it feel knowing that the only person willing to stand by your side only does so because you made them that way?  
> Big thanks to ImBlue298 for providing the image! You can check out more of his work on twitter! (@Lusouro)


End file.
